Staff and students at St Andrews School of International Relations, and the wider North East Fife community can see ‘Searching for Satyrus’, the first major film on the conflict between the neighbouring nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It gets its first Scottish showing in School III, United College on Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30pm.

Set in the mountainous borderlands between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the story follows Rena Effendi, a photographer and filmmaker in pursuit of Satyrus effendi, a rare and critically endangered butterfly named in honour of her father, an enigmatic Soviet entomologist who was absent from her life.

Satyrus died in 1991, when Rena was just 14, amid war and the collapse of the USSR. Rena retraces his old butterfly-hunting routes through what is now a devastated landscape, deep into a remote Caucasus exclave isolated by decades of conflict.

The butterfly is known to appear there only once a year, fluttering high over militarised border that people are forbidden to cross. On this journey of discovery, Rena comes closer to her father, confronting the distance between them and coming to terms with his troubled legacy.

Professor Rick Fawn from St Andrews School of International Relations, has been instrumental in bringing the film to St Andrews.

Some of Rick’s research has focused on the conflicts among Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with Russia, and involved real-world engagement with leaders including Heads of State , foreign ministries and international institutions dealing with complex geopolitical issues that affect millions of people.

Rena added: “As I retrace my father’s footsteps, seeking to understand both him and his lifelong passion for butterflies, I am helped by people on both sides of the border, people who still officially consider each other enemies. What motivates my journey is not only a search for my father along with a species on the brink of extinction, but also a longing for peace and reconciliation.

“Through this quest, I hope to show that humanity can prevail even in places ravaged by war. The film traverses a physical landscape, but also the emotional and political ones. My efforts to bring Armenians and Azerbaijanis together in the search for the butterfly mirror the fragile possibility of unity in a region long divided by violence and traumas of war.”

The film will followed by a Q&A with Rena and Professor Fawn.

Tickets should be booked in advance at www.undergroundslate.com/event-details/searching-for-satyrus-university-of-st-andrews-screening-with-q-a